CHAPTER 1 KYUJITSU KAISEN
Few things are certain in this day and age. At most, only three: Mito Komon always wins, Sazae airs on Sundays, and Nobara Kugisaki takes forever to shop.
So when Kugisaki said she wanted to see Ameya-Yokocho, Fushiguro was ready for a long haul, similar to one of those Sunday mornings when Gojo would say, “Megumi, shall we go to Parque España?”
Because of Itadori’s love of TV, Fushiguro expected him to be interested in a trendy destination, but he wasn’t. Instead, he said, “No, there’s someplace else I want to go.”
“Oh, all right. Then let’s meet up later.”
Fushiguro, who had become accustomed to the boisterous mood Itadori and Kugisaki generated when they were together, was as surprised by the trio splitting up as if he had found out that hijiki was low in iron, and pleased. He wanted to go straight home to finish reading the paperback he’d bought the other day, and he wanted to organize his desk drawer and closet.
However, Fushiguro was the serious, responsible type. He worried whether Itadori, a vessel for the demon Sukuna, would be okay on his own. The district of Ueno around Okachimachi Station was both historical and hopping with activity. An abundance of peculiar tales of the supernatural were associated with the lively postwar market town, so dormant curses might well be lurking there. Even worse, if Fushiguro took his eyes off him for even a second, Itadori might buy a pair of horribly tacky sunglasses or declare Tachikawa to be the essence of Shinjuku. He might even wander into Chiyoda Ward and start snapping pics at Masakado’s tomb to post on social media.
Thus, loathe though he was to do it, Fushiguro decided to stay with Itadori.
“Fushiguro, if you aren’t interested in Akiba, why’re you coming along?” Itadori asked.
“Mind your own business.”
“Fine,” Itadori responded. “Anyway, I always did wanna check out Akiba.”
“Is there something you want to buy?” Fushiguro asked. “I doubt there’s anything more than manga, video games, and electronics.”
“Huh? I’m going sightseeing,” Itadori said. “Shibuya and Shinjuku are all right, but whenever I see Akiba on TV, it has a real otherworldly vibe, sort of like a theme park.”
“So that’s your reason, huh?”
Those who are used to living in the city might not notice it, but Akihabara is an odd place. The atmosphere around the station is unique. It’s drenched in anime culture, and the sheer volume of visual stimulus from the ubiquitous advertisements is astounding. The abundance of flashing signs featuring smiling video game
characters do indeed give the whole district the impression of a theme park. Other sights might include an occasional cosplayer amidst the densely packed crowd, maids busily handing out flyers to attract customers to the maid cafés, or an unusual foreign automobile cruising down the road transporting a large prototype of a giant robot.
Itadori was unable to suppress his curiosity in such a place. It was impossible.
“This is crazy, Fushiguro! There are game centers everywhere! They’re like convenience stores!”
“Because this is Akiba.”
“This is crazy, Fushiguro! Those maids are actually trying to get our attention!”
“Because this is Akiba.”
“This is crazy, Fushiguro! Is that a pervy video game? That sign is for a pervy game, right? Whoa, is that allowed?! Like, right out in the open! Uh-oh … I’m underage! Will I get in trouble?!”
“Shut up already!”
Akiba is a noisy place, but to Fushiguro, Itadori was three times noisier.
They had a few hours before they were to meet back up with Kugisaki. Fushiguro’s head hurt just thinking about spending all that time in Akiba alone with Itadori, who had transformed into a wide-eyed child. Itadori, meanwhile, was in high spirits, oblivious to Fushiguro’s mood.
“I’m so glad you came, Fushiguro!” Itadori said. “It’s so crowded I might get lost!”
“But it’s not as crowded as Shinjuku, right?”
“Don’t judge it by the usual Tokyo standards,” Itadori responded. “Tokyo’s the only place where vending machines that accept electronic money are lined up all over the place and Pepper’s standing around in front of all the stores!”
“Seeing a Pepper robot isn’t that common,” Fushiguro said.
“In Sendai, the only thing to see is the artificial hot spring Topos.”
“Don’t casually drop your local joints into the conversation like I’m supposed to know what you’re talking about. What is that Topos place like, anyway?”
“It’s a superdeluxe public bath!”
“If Pepper standing at a public bath is a sign of civilization, we’re in trouble.”
“Anyway,” Itadori said. “I’m just saying that instead of being alone, it’s reassuring to be with someone who knows the terrain. After all, I’m still not great at taking the subway.”
“Not even you could get lost on the Yamanote Line!” Fushiguro said.
“There it is! That city-boy attitude! It comes to you so naturally!”
“Actually, you don’t get lost that much anymore. You go places all the time.”
“Hey, Fushiguro!” Itadori exclaimed. “Let’s eat a kebab. Kebaaab!”
“Try to make sense, would you?!” ...
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